Detachable pour spout



Aug., 17, 1943 A. J. GRAMP DETACHABLE POUR SPOUT Filed April 25, 1941 Patented Aug. 1943 j 'UNITED STATES PATENT lOFFICE :Mnnrnormrln Poort sPoU'r Y Y'ninos r.` slamp, Atlantic einen. Jl" l linniication dipril ,23, 1941, Serial No. 3895975 v soaring'. omai-7.23)

AThis Y invention relates to the dispensing oi liquids and isrnoreV particularly concerned with the provision of a pour spout for use' Withhliquid containers of the type of paint cans andthe like.

Liquids, :nichA as paint, 'syiun'V lubricating* oils, etc., are at presentvery largely distributed to the retail market in cans of rectangular cross-v secti which are provided with a more orless fiat uppe' surface. Grdinarily ath'readed' boss is provided on the upper surfaca'this boss having an aperture deining fia-nge inT which a lid may oe seated and frictionally held. l Because ofthe that containers may be subjected to considu 'eraoiy rough treatmentin shipmentit is curs;V

ternary, as a safety measure, to provide, additional me no, threaded stung over the boss onthe top of the can and serving to insure the ma itenance of the `ri'ctio-nally heidlid'in position. Cans of this type when used reduire removal'rst "of the threaded cap and then of the Gncethis is done, the liquid Within the V:container may be dispensed. However,l the user of materials so packaged is hampered in the pouring or dispensing operation, the problems encountered oeing most prevalentwhen the cont er is full. T:hus, the first pouring operation is i uely to result in the spilling of a portion. of the liquid doivnthe side of the container because' of the location-of the pour opening about an inch in rorn theoutside edge ofthe can,'a condition necessary by the machinery employed in can manufacture",V

To overcome the "fcultyoutiined above a number of pour spouts'have been devised. These, as broadly considered, may be classiiiedjin `tvvo groups; rstfa type permanently attached to the receptacle and, second, one detachable therefrom; The chief advantage of thepermanently attached type of pour Vspout isA that it cannot become lost and, in manufacture, it may be located in such a Way as to avoid .interference With the positioning, of the. lid or other tempo` rary cover. orsuch containers, however, vdiiiiculties are presented, or ordinarily suchcans cannot be super# Y imposed in shipmentand as a consequence they will VAoccupy moreY space than ''cans not so equipped. It will be readily recognizedA that'ad ditional spacei'occupied ,inshipment isVY a matter of considerablevimportance and that the elimination of this' Waste space is desirable consistent with maintenance of the advantages inherent'in the provision iota pour spou.v j

` To overcome the disadvantages ortheperma- 'nently attached type'of pour spout and at the In the transportation and storage same time to facilitate dispensing, considerable efort'rhas been directed toward the provislo'nof a sa'tisactorily constructed `data-eliable pour spout.V At present detachable p cur spoutsfor use with i cans vor other receptacles having the threaded boss type dispensingopening insipide a pouring lip permanently attached to a threaded sleeve; which Vsieevev is adaptedto surround the bcssin Vreplacement of the threaded Acap with tvliichtlie container is in. ally provided. Such an'arrangeinent is economical and has soi earlvantages. l into position on the boss or apaint' can or the like-the lip oi thepour spout may be disposed in only one pouringposition, other-positions being attainable only when the sleeve is partially un` screwedjand thus loosened wil tain its adjustment. To overcometheV cited,it Was proposed to provi a can or the like with a pour spout h ving Yan annular nbetween a ,flange on the screw threaded s eeve and a flange onthe` boss of the canV top. Thus; by

looseningY the sleeve, thepour spout could Vbe directed to any desired position and so held While the sleeve Was screwed doivn to the degree of tightness. v i

Diiioul es are 'inherent in the str ctures de-Y Vcribred above ier necessarily the threaded flange and its attached pour spout must be entirely removed from the can by unscrewing before the normal lid can-.be placed in'position. Thus, the pour spout" cannot be left in operative position 'during temporary storage ci the material after it is in the handset' the retail consumer and subsequent tothe rst useV thereof.

It is therefore an object or this invention to overcome all of the foregoing dii'iculties and to provide a detachable pour Vspout which may be conveniently directed into any pouring position and which may 'be quickly and easily detached from the container with Which'it is used.

" According to this invention, temporarysealing means may be employed in conjunction with a container provided v/ith a detachable pour spout Without the detachmentof the spout.`

, Another object of this invention is to provide apour spout'of simple construction Whiehfmay bequickly and easily made of inexpensive and readily available materials. According to the teachingsof this invention a pour spout ofpaper or like material may be provided, the construe tion* being sumciently stro-ng for the intended purpose While renderingr available the inherent advantage of printing for advertising purposes.-

However,` when the sleeve is 'sul owedV Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description thereof in conjunction with the attached drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a metallic receptacle provided with a detachable pour spout constructed according to this invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional View taken along the lines 2-2 of Figure l illustrating a preferred form of this invention;

Figure 3 is a detailed view in section illustrating a modified form of this invention involving a novel type connection between the flange of a pour spout and the flange of its retaining sleeve; and

Figure 4 is a detailed View in section illustrating a still further modified form of this invention in which the retaining sleeve is provided with a groove in which an arcuate portion of the pour spout'is seated for movement with respect thereto. Y l

Referring to the drawing in greater detail and particularly to Figures l and 2 thereof, this in vention is shown as applied to a paint can I having the usual threaded boss II provided with a flange I2 for thel reception of a frictionally held cover I3. It should be noted that the flange of cover I3 is adapted to restl against b-ut a portion of the flange I2 of boss II. vThe remaining portion of the flange I2, that is, thehportion directly adjacent the threaded area is, according to this invention, adapted to form` a seat against which a flange .lllV of a threaded sleeve I5 may rest. As illustratedsleeve I5 is adapted to surround boss I I iii-threaded engagement therewith. l"fhus, sleeve l 5 may be screwed down causing its flange I Il to approach flange I2 of boss II. Referring now to Figure 2 it willY be seen that a flange I is disposed intermediate flanges I2 and i4. Flange I 6 forms an integral part of pour spout I'i which includes a generally crescent shaped pouring lip i8 for the direction of liquid issuing from the aperture dened by flange I2 of the boss. Pouring lip Il may be made of card stock or of molded paper or even of thin sheet metal. It is important, however, that the lip be made of a resilient material so that the base of the pouring lip may be'oircumferentially compressed to cause flange I6 to be withdrawn from its position between flange I4 of sleeve I5 and flange l2 of boss il. This can be readily accomplished by slightly loosening sleeve l5, it being wholly unnecessary to remove sleeve E5 from engagement with boss il. The pour spout as illustrated is of molded paper and includes on its upper edge a turned-down portion I8 which serves as a reinforcement. Around the base of the pouring lip a metallic element I 9 such as any thinsheet metal may be disposed. This serves the function of protecting the paper against wear whichwould be caused by frictional contact with flanges i4 and I2. Since the paper pouring lip is provided it is evident that advertising indicia may be printedrthereon without interference with its primary function.

When the detachable pour spout just described is placed into operation, the user of the liquid material contained within receptacle I will ordinarily iirst. remove the threaded cap which, according to conventional practice, .oc-

and reduced circumferentially. In this condition flange I5 thereof is passed between flange I4 and ange I2. If the pour spout is then released it will spring into position so that the arcuate flange will contact ange I I for the entire length of the former. Thereafter the pouring lip I'I is directed into any desired pouring position and is so held while sleeve I5 is screwed down to a locking position, at which time flange IB of the pour spout will be tightly gripped between flanges I2 and I4. At this time, the operator may pry loose lid i3 and commence the'use of the receptacle. After a suitable quantity of material has been dispensed, lid I3 may be replaced. This can be done without any interference whatsoever with the pouring lip. Ifrdesired, however, s'leeve I5 can be slightly loosened, and the `pouring lip again squeezed to cause reduction of circumference, thus allowing disengagement of ilange I6 from its position between flanges I2 and I4. It will be seen that the construction described permits the pouring spout to be directed in any desired position and that the pouring spout may be quickly and easily detached without the complete removal of its retaining sleeve.

Referring now to the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 3, it will be seen that most of the parts correspond to those shown in Figures l and 2. However, the arcuate flange on the pour spout l5, designated in Figure 3 as 2U,

is an upstanding one and is adapted to cooperate with a down-turned flange 2l provided on threaded sleeve I5. This arrangement is of advantage because it is quite evident that the original threaded' cap, the top of which will nor# mally overlie-lid i3, may be used later as a sleeve it being necessary only to cut out the top of the can leaving an inwardly extending annular flange around the ,top edge of the threaded portion. This'ilange will be normally bent down to the position shown in Figure 3 as an incident to the cutting operation. Clearly, if cutting out of the top of the threaded Cap is done in a manner' to avoid bending of the resulting flange, such flange` may be subsequently bent to a position as shown in Figure 3 or may be used as shown in Figure 2. The operation of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 3 is in all respects similar to that described above in vconnection with Figures l and 2.

The distinguishing feature of the formof the invention shown in Figure 4 is that the sleeve I5 is provided, not with an annular flange as in the other illustrated forms of the invention, but withan cverturnedjportion 22 defining'a groove.

` Within this groove the lower edge portion" 23 of cupies the positionl of sleeve lI5 in the drawing.

With the threaded cap removed, sleeve I5 is then screwed to a position where flange I4 is spaced just slightly above flange iI. ThereafterY the pour spout Vconstruction is gripped. at its ends pour spout Il is inserted, the configuration of the inserted portion of the pour spoutv conforming to the configuration of the groove.` As before, the portion of the pour spout subjected'to wear is covered with metal, I9. YIn the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 4 the pour spout Il is not detachable from the boss`II of .can I0 except by the concurrent 'removalof' sleeve "I5. However, the `gripping arrangementdoes permit the pouring lip and sleeve I5 to be relatively rotatable so that the sleeve may be moved to any position of adjustment. By tightly compressing the portion of the pour spout which liesA between flange i2 and the lower edge of the groove defining member 22 of. sleeve I5 it is possible to firmly hold the" pour spout vin anysel'ected position..

While several forms of this invention have been described above it will be recognized that many modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims. The term arcuate' as used herein is intended to designate a curve of something lessl than 360.

What is claimed is:

l. In a receptacle including a boss having an annular flange defining a central aperture, a sleeve adapted to Contact and surround said boss said sleeve having an annular llange adapted to overlie and contact a portion of the flange of the boss, and a pour spout of resilient material including a lip portion and an arcuate ilange extending for less than 360, said iiange being adapted to nest between the flanges of said boss and said sleeve to be held thereby.

2. In a receptacle including a boss having an annular flange dening a central aperture, a sleeve 'adapted to contact and surround said boss said sleeve having an annular flange adapted to overlie and Contact a portion of the flange of the ooss, and a pour spout of molded paper including 'a lip portion and an arcuate flange extending for less than 360, said flange being adapted to nest between the flanges of said boss and said `.sleeve to be held thereby, said arcuate flange portion being provided with a thin sheet metal cover.

3. In 'a receptacle including a threaded boss having an annular ilange defining a central aperture and a sealing lid adapted to close said aperture the lid being provided with a flange overlying a part of the annular flange of the boss, a threaded sleeve adapted to surround said boss in threaded engagement therewith said sleeve having an annular flange adapted to overlie a portion of the flange of the boss which is not engaged by the flange of said lid, and a pour spout of .resilient materialrincluding a lip portion and an arcuate flange adapted to nest between the flange of said boss and said sleeve, whereby both the lid and the pour spout are rendered individually detachable Without removal of said sleeve While both may be used together,

ALFRED J. GRAMP. 

